Home > Q&A by Experts > Literature >
Q

Who is Hermes in the Odyssey?

A

Homer’s Odyssey presents several divine characters. Among them are Poseidon, Athena, and Hermes. Similar to his mythological role, Hermes serves as a messenger. In the myths, he is portrayed as a protector of travelers, thieves, merchants, and heralds. In the official representations, he has winged shoes and can fly because of them.

Detailed answer:

When the beautiful nymph Calypso imprisons Odysseus with his only son, Athena pleads to Zeus. The God of Thunder sends Hermes. Hence, the nymph honors her word and releases both prisoners. After the messenger of Olympus retold Zeus’s order, Calypso released both prisoners. Yet, she remained unhappy. As Calypso told Hermes, ”male gods are allowed to have mortals as lovers, but females are not, which is unfair”. Regardless of her discontent, she still has sent Odysseus and his son on their way.

Hermes appears later in The Odyssey as a disguised helper. The Messenger of the Gods appeared when Odysseus escaped the island of giants. Later, he, by accident, landed on the island of Circe. This woman seemed to be harmless. Then, she turned several of Odysseus’s comrades into pigs with human faces. Because of his character, Odysseus decided to save his friends from being eaten like pigs.

As he went through the forest to the home of that vengeful and evil goddess, Hermes appeared. He was disguised as a young man. Hermes was the one who warned Odysseus about the witchcraft that Circe used. Moreover, he was the one to show the main character an antidote to Circe’s spell. The Messenger gave Odysseus the drug, called molly. It helped in freeing his companions. Because of Hermes, Odysseus was able to free himself and save his friends from an awful fate.

Answer's rating:
Updated:
Ask your Question
(We won’t publish it)
Cite This page
You're welcome to use this expert's answer in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2024, August 21). Who is Hermes in the Odyssey? https://ivypanda.com/q/who-is-hermes-in-the-odyssey/

Work Cited

"Who is Hermes in the Odyssey?" IvyPanda, 21 Aug. 2024, ivypanda.com/q/who-is-hermes-in-the-odyssey/.

References

IvyPanda. (2024) 'Who is Hermes in the Odyssey'. 21 August.

References

IvyPanda. 2024. "Who is Hermes in the Odyssey?" August 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/q/who-is-hermes-in-the-odyssey/.

1. IvyPanda. "Who is Hermes in the Odyssey?" August 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/q/who-is-hermes-in-the-odyssey/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Who is Hermes in the Odyssey?" August 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/q/who-is-hermes-in-the-odyssey/.

Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.